3
THK BATTALION.
bullied and ordered him around like a servant. If it was
possible that he had a little courag-e during- the da3’, at nigdit
that little bit left him. It was next to impossible to make
him leave the house after dark.
Leon did not inherit cowardice. No one in the villag-e
of Camille dared to sav that. His father, GaspardSuchet, had
a reputation for bravery that no one could deny. In the
JFranco—Prussian war he was twice promoted for bravcr\ 7 .
Leon Suchet's grandfather was also a soldier.
It sorely grieved Gaspard Suchet that his eldest son was
the first Suchet that ever turned out to be a coward. When he
first noticed Leon’s cowardly character, he forced himself to be
lieve that he would in time outgrow it. Leon's frail consti
tution and delicate health was much to blame for his coward
ice, Gaspard thought. As Leon grew older and stronger if
there was any change in him it was for the worse.
One evening in May when Leon lacked but a month of
being* fourteen 3*ears old, an accident happened to him which
changed the whole course of his life. He was coming home
through some woods near the village, carding his little sis
ter, when a large owl flew past him. He let his sister fall
heavily to the ground and stood motionless, almost paral3*zed
w th fright. Hehad hardly recovered his wits when he
reached home to tell what had happened.
ilis sister was found to be seriously hurt.
When Gaspard Suehet came home that night he said to
Leon what, he afterwards declared, no father should sa3* to
his. son. The next morning Leon was missing*. A week